MAY 2026 · WITNESS
People of Upfest: Bristol
Bedminster · Bristol
Upfest runs through most of May — hundreds of artists across Bedminster's walls and shutters and hoardings and whatever other flat vertical surface the organisers can lay claim to. Europe's largest street art festival. People come for the murals. I kept pointing the camera at the people.
There were easels set out on a car park forecourt, about thirty in a row under bunting, and all kinds of people working on canvases with whatever they'd brought. A woman in a striped top with headphones on, not listening to music as far as I could tell, just blocking out the noise so she could concentrate. A young woman with flower earrings drawing in marker, leaning in close. Another crouched in front of a large canvas with a respirator and gloves, spray can in hand. The concentration was the thing. Not performance — genuine absorption. None of them were watching to be watched.
The back of his jacket said Be Excellent To Each Other.
Upfest — May 2026
The crowd was there for the spectacle, and the spectacle was real. On one street, a red-haired woman's face seven metres tall looked down at the people below who looked up at her. I found myself photographing the watchers more than the art. Two men in a crowd, one holding a pint, both laughing. A man on a side street, pressing a sticker to a bollard. The back of his jacket said Be Excellent To Each Other.
A tattooed artist crouched to the base of a wall and lined his spray cans beside him — four or five of them standing to attention while he worked on the lower section. On an orange scaffold over another street, a man in paint-covered overalls reached down to pass a can to someone below. Andy Downes had painted a face in dark glasses near the car park — "Upfest" reflected in one lens, "Bristol" in the other. The mural that photographs the festival back.
At some point I ended up at a skatepark on the edge of the Upfest area. Graffiti on everything — ramps, walls, fences. Two skaters and an older man stood talking near the entrance. It wasn't part of the festival. It was just Bristol, running alongside.
Young woman with flower earrings smiling while holding a paintbrush, black and white, Upfest Bristol
Tattooed artist with spray can smiling at a young girl in front of a bold mural at Upfest, Bristol
Crowd looking up at a large colourful mural of a red-haired woman's face at Upfest, Bristol
Close profile portrait of a dark-haired young woman lost in thought, black and white
Artist in blue paint-spattered overalls on a scaffold platform working on a tall orange mural at Upfest, Bristol
Upfest crew member in black hoodie walking along a street, black and white, Bristol
Two men laughing together in a crowded street at Upfest Bristol, one holding a pint
Artist in grey hoodie spray-painting lettered shapes onto a red brick wall at Upfest, Bristol
Person with curly hair and face mask studying a canvas at Upfest, Bristol
Woman in orange jacket watches artists work on a red brick wall at Upfest, Bristol
Woman with curly hair smiling in front of colourful tribal-style street art murals at Upfest, Bristol
Man in blue t-shirt carefully painting on a canvas at Upfest, Bristol
Elderly woman with German Shepherd walks past a shopfront plastered in tribal street art, Bristol
Row of artists painting on easels at an outdoor event under bunting at Upfest, Bristol
Young woman in green hoodie concentrating while painting on a canvas at Upfest, Bristol
Photographer shooting a bold black and white female face mural while another figure looks on, Upfest Bristol
Woman in red jacket carefully painting on a canvas at Upfest, Bristol
Artist crouching to spray-paint the base of a mural with cans lined up beside him at Upfest, Bristol
Man with shaved head and sunglasses spray-painting a large canvas in black and white at Upfest, Bristol
Young woman with flower earrings drawing on a canvas with a marker at Upfest, Bristol
Older woman in striped top with headphones painting on a canvas in a crowd at Upfest, Bristol
Artist in black crouching to spray-paint a large canvas with respirator and gloves at Upfest, Bristol
Bearded man laughing in a crowd at Upfest festival, Bristol, black and white
Older woman with grey hair and headphones focused on drawing on a canvas at Upfest, Bristol
Man from behind placing a sticker on a street bollard, jacket reading Excellent To Each Other, at Upfest Bristol
Child in yellow jacket drawing on a vivid blue communal mural wall with markers at Upfest, Bristol
Andy Downes' Upfest Bristol mural — a face in sunglasses reflecting the festival name, black and white
Woman painting an elegant swirling face in black and white on a board at Upfest, Bristol
Upfest crew member walking away from camera down a back lane, black and white, Bristol
Man in blue shirt painting a red and yellow mural seen over the heads of a crowd at Upfest, Bristol
Artist painting botanical leaves onto a colourful mural panel at Upfest, Bristol
Tattooed man in black t-shirt laughing with two others in front of a colourful mural, black and white, Upfest Bristol
Young woman with flower earrings laughing while painting at Upfest, Bristol
Artist from behind spray-painting a large black and white mural on a building wall at Upfest, Bristol
Yellow HOPE graffiti and layered tags on a weathered brick wall with an old phone box in Bristol
Two people from behind looking up at a large painted female face on a wall at Upfest, Bristol, black and white
Skateboarders and onlookers in a graffiti-covered outdoor skate area at Upfest, Bristol
Child and adult from behind viewing a galaxy-themed mural panel at Upfest, Bristol
Weathered red and stone brick building with graffiti tags in a Bristol backstreet
Man from behind placing a sticker on a street bollard, jacket reading Excellent To Each Other, black and white
Two artists in respirators talking backstage at Upfest, Bristol, black and white
Woman in sunglasses standing arms-crossed before a bold black and white floral mural at Upfest, Bristol
Artist seated on the pavement spray-painting the lower section of a mural at Upfest, Bristol
Young woman reading the Upfest festival programme map on a busy Bristol street
Young boy in blue jacket spray-painting a geometric teal mural panel at Upfest, Bristol
Two artists in conversation, one wearing a respirator around their neck at Upfest, Bristol
Artist on a cherry picker platform drawing white geometric shapes on a rooftop building at Upfest, Bristol, black and white
Artist on an orange cherry picker spray-painting a cartoon monster mural on a brick wall at Upfest, Bristol
Paint-covered artist on a scaffold reaches down to hand a spray can to someone below, orange mural wall, Upfest Bristol
Two artists spray-painting bold red and green letters on a blue brick wall at Upfest, Bristol
Artist in red cap spray-painting a colourful mural on a brick alley wall at Upfest, Bristol
Skateboarders at a wide outdoor graffiti-covered skate park in Bristol